Silicon Carbide Powder

Silicon carbide powder can be used for blasting, tumbling and polishing various materials such as metal/gemstone. Both green and black tinted varieties of this material can be purchased.

Silicon carbide (SiC) is an inorganic chemical compound composed of silicon and carbon found in nature as the rare mineral moissanite, though mass produced since 1893 for use as an abrasive. SiC has excellent strength, wear resistance, thermal conductivity and low coefficient of expansion at very high temperatures compared to similar materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Abrasive properties

Silicon carbide powder is an extremely versatile abrasive material used for numerous applications. Due to its hardness and abrasiveness, silicon carbide is perfect for grinding or cutting materials such as wood, metal, glass and ceramic. Furthermore, its fine surface finish produces perfect conditions for painting or coating processes.

Black silicon carbide powder is widely utilized for industrial applications, including lapping and polishing nonferrous metals and cutting quartz. Furthermore, this material serves as an additive in various bonded and coated abrasive products such as sandpaper and cutting wheels; additionally it plays an essential role in semiconductor manufacturing thanks to its superior thermal conductivity and resistance against wear and tear.

Silicon carbide’s abrasive properties make it useful in art and craft projects, such as sanding wood and metal surfaces to create smooth surfaces ready for painting or varnishing. When working with this material, however, appropriate safety gear should always be worn due to dust created when processing the surface – as inhalation could potentially be harmful.

High thermal conductivity

Silicon carbide (SiC) is an insoluble chemical compound composed of silicon and carbon that occurs naturally as the gem moissanite; however, large-scale production occurs as both powdered abrasives and hard ceramic blocks used for bulletproof vests. Although insoluble in water or alcohol and resistant to organic acids, Silicon Carbide serves as an excellent electrical insulator with low thermal expansion coefficient and high strength at elevated temperatures; when doped with metals like Boron and Aluminum it becomes semiconductor-like material with dopable semiconductor properties; naturally.

Metallurgical grade silicon carbide boasts lower nitrogen and sulfur contents than its counterparts, making it the perfect product for the steel industry. It is used as a refractory, wear-resistant parts, lightweight kiln furniture such as hearth plates, recuperator tubes, pusher slabs and skid rails; also employed for non-oxide ceramic production as an abrasive application and as support and shelving material in ceramic forming, glass fusing and high temperature kiln environments.

Corrosion resistance

Silicon carbide can be an ideal material for ceramic applications due to its superior resistance against chemical erosion and corrosion, high temperatures and abrasions, making it suitable for modern lapidary practices including grinding, honing and water-jet cutting operations. Furthermore, silicon carbide supports and shelves are suitable for high temperature kilns as a support material.

Sintered SiC is highly resistant to corrosion thanks to its chemical inertness, hardness, low density, thermal conductivity and low coefficient of expansion. Furthermore, this material offers exceptional wear resistance as well as high abrasion resistance – qualities which make for optimal tribological properties under heavy loads, slow sliding speeds and temperature variations.

Pure SiC can be created through heating silica sand and carbon sources like coal at high temperatures in an open furnace (Lely process). This results in sublimating powder into crystals of SiC that may either be green or black depending on their purity.

High strength

Silicon carbide (abbreviated as SiC, Carborundum or Carb) is an advanced non-oxide refractory material. Found naturally only in moissanite mineral deposits, mass production began in 1893 as either granular powder or hard crystal forms for use as an abrasive. Furthermore, SiC can also be combined together by sintering to form highly durable ceramic structures.

Green sinter-grade silicon carbide powder is produced by melting quartz sand, petroleum coke, and salt in a resistance furnace at high temperatures. Its Mohs hardness lies between corundum and diamond; furthermore it boasts excellent toughness and durability properties. Ceramic fiber abrasives are commonly used in surface preparation, metalworking and ceramic manufacturing processes as an abrasive. Furthermore, they’re an excellent insulator in furnaces and kilns. Conductive semiconductor grade sinter-grade SiC powder was specifically created to meet the growing requirements for third generation semiconductor conductive silicon carbide single crystals with particle sizes from 10 micrometers to 100 micrometers and product purity exceeding 6N. It finds applications such as lightning arrester valve bodies and silicon carbon electric heating elements.